Home for the Holidays

Dec 22, 2008
Categories: family, recreation, weather

I wouldn’t have phrased it that way, considering that Dustin only lived in Iowa until he was seven, but he himself said it on Myspace. Nathan and i picked him up at the airport on Saturday, and we had a mini-Christmas with him and Tim and Jamie that evening. It’s been ridiculously cold here, as a nice big “Welcome!” The high yesterday was negative one, and the wind-chill factor made it feel something like thirty below. It didn’t keep us indoors all day, though! Last night mom, Nathan, Dustin and i went out for dinner and a few drinks.

Dustin Drinking Santa's Butt
Dustin drinking Santa’s Butt

Santa's Butt

Dustin was so impressed by the beer and scotch selection at the Royal Mile that he asked that we take him back before he leaves on Friday. There’s still a lot of partying left to do this week!

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Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Sep 03, 2008
Categories: tech, weather

I am just not ready for this Fall thing yet. :( Yesterday i tried to convince myself that it still felt like Summer, but today i really can’t pretend.

Cubbies Game
Mom and i went to an I-Cubs game over the long weekend.

It’s not that i don’t like Fall, don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love Fall. I think it’s the most romantic season, which actually might drive me crazy this year since i have nobody to squeeze. What i’m really not happy about is the fact that Fall never lasts more than a few weeks here, it just goes straight into winter and i HATE winter. I mean, i can tolerate it for a long time, but when it’s been snowing for three months already and there’s no end in sight, i get pretty angry.

I’m gonna get me a garage this year, though, so that should help my nerves quite a lot.

In the news: John McCain was an exotic dancer back in the day. His new running mate, Sarah Palin, is a horrible, horrible person. Google’s new browser Chrome is only for Windows. I want an Intel Mac, so i don’t have to be jealous about that sort of thing anymore. I also want a new iPod, but rather than one with a larger capacity than my 4th generation iPod Classic 20gb, i’m thinking of getting a Nano because… drum roll… I’ve taken up running. I’m actually improving a lot and it’s only been three weeks, so now i’m thinking about getting the Nike + iPod system because everyone says it’s so cool. And it only works with Nanos. Sigh. Apple is about to release a new nano, though, so hopefully the prices on the old ones will drop.

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Des Moines Arts Festival

Jun 29, 2008
Categories: des moines, typography, art, photography, weather

Mom and i visited the Des Moines Arts Festival this weekend, which is one of my favorite things to do in the summertime. We’re lucky to get such a wide variety of artists from all over the country, some of whom even come more than once despite the awful weather–be it sweltering heat, torrential downpours or, this year’s surprise, a gale storm.

Here are a few of my favorites, or at least the ones from whom i was able to snatch a business card with a web address.

KEITH GRACE - This one appealed to the graphic designer in me because of the bright colors, simple images and the use of typography as texture. Fun collage/paintings, just really cool to look at.

CHRIS HONEYSETT - Obviously a great black & white photographer. Who doesn’t love fog photos?

BRUCE HOLWERDA - These paintings are just so whimsical and colorful and beautiful. I love that he captures the magic of dance and uses techniques like splatter painting and collage-like color so that the image almost seems to glitter.

So check out their websites, buy me a print or two… And come with us next year. We’ll get a four-dollar beer and gripe about all the other gawkers.

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Storm’s a-brewin’

Jun 26, 2008
Categories: photography, weather, life

Two storms today (yesterday now, it’s that late at night) gathered and rumbled and threatened but never broke. One outside, one in.

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Head for the hills!

Jun 02, 2008
Categories: job hunting, shopping, location, weather, life

Friday was quite an adventure here in Ames, Iowa. It rained quite a bit last week, enough apparently to totally flood the meadow across the street from us, and then the street itself, and then the apartment buildings in the area. Dan called me at 11 AM while i was still in bed and told me to get out and move my car up to the next street to the North because ours was flooding. “I don’t see any water in the parking lot–wait a sec, yeah the street is totally filled with water.”


From the east end of South 5th, around noon on Friday


Behind our apartment buildings (ours is the grey one).

We got our cars out and up to South 4th just in time. I went and knocked on Karl’s door to tell him to move his vehicle and Dan went knocking on all of our neighbor’s doors, because cars were quickly becoming too submerged to drive through the water. He went into the office and suggested that they alert people. “What, you want us to go knock on everyone’s door?” “Uh, YEAH, that’s what i’ve just been DOING.” So he got their asses going. Good work.

Meanwhile, I waded back to our place with my big rubber boots on and quickly packed a bag and grabbed some bananas. I went back to my car, ate a banana and tried to decide whose house i could shower at… There’s a back staircase from S 4th to Nina & Karl’s apartment complex so i called him, took a shower at their place and was able to get out the back door and back to my car though the water had risen to their parking lot by the time i was done.

Dan stuck around and had a ball wading through the brown water with Ryan and making friends with the neighbors while i went to the mall for a bit (where i found THE JACKET!) before my dental appointment and then got out of town. I was on my way to Des Moines when my car suddenly shut off in the middle of the interstate. I was able to pull over onto the shoulder, called mom and then Dan who came with Ryan to rescue me after first grabbing a burger or two. Ryan identified that my fuel line had become disconnected, reconnected it for me and i was on my way. THANK YOU, Ryan!

Some day i’ll tally up all the money that Dan and Ryan have saved me on computer and car repairs and feel guilty, and then take them out to a nice dinner or something. Amazingly, all the bad luck of the day ended up making me feel very fortunate to A: have an apartment that’s on concrete stilts; 2: Have found the perfect jacket finally :) C: Still have super healthy teeth even after a year and a half away from the dentist; 4: Have friends to rescue me; and E: be close enough to just hop down and visit my family. Never mind that i experienced a flood and car problems on the same day.

I stayed in DM that night and visited with Tim, Angie, Jamie and Mom and perhaps Grandma and Grandpa heard some of what we were saying, having been in the same room for most of the time. I had an interview with Zillow in Seattle which was a little awkward because i had forgotten about the time difference and expected a call at 3:30 rather than 5:30, and the phone connection was rather fuzzy.

Cut to today. Nothing in my email inbox. I feel anxious. Chicago? Seattle? Portland? Chicago? Portland? Seattle? Interviews? Plane rides? Hotels? Nothing at all?? Everyone warns me about Chicago. There is still nothing to speak of in Portland, my top choice. I am still waiting. This will be my first week without pay.

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